


Voices From the Dust

by ephona



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Multi, Science Fiction, Shonen-ai, Spaceships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-26
Packaged: 2017-11-27 01:37:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/656574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephona/pseuds/ephona





	1. Chapter 1

_Stardate 220 USS Raven_ _  
 _Voice message to Chancellor Sheryl Rainsworth__   
  
Dear Chancellor Rainsworth, I have entrusted Captain Break with this recording. As he brings you my voice, know that I am dead in body. But not in spirit. I have worked my entire life and have finished it off well. As I have been reporting, I have been followed by the survivors of Sabrier; the Baskervilles. They have sabotaged my ship, your lovely ship, the USS Raven, with a plasmatic bomb that will soon consume us. So, let me give you my final words. I have found out all about the destruction of Sabrier. It's a tragic story like my own. One of love, hate and the human heart. I'm happy to seal my life with this message.

 

_Two months earlier..._

  
  
Two fingers playfully grasped the burning stick of embers. They pulled it away from the pale, chapped lips that held it. "Admiral, stop it. Your clogging the scrubbers."

  
"Give that back..."

  
"Noooo I don't want to." He moved the stick back and forth. "Come and get iiit..."

  
"Stop it." The Admiral snatched the cigarette away bitterly. "Get back to work."

  
"I finished my work." The Captain of the USS Raven pursed his lips together.

  
"Then leave me alone..." The Admiral pressed the cigarette to his lips again, angrily letting out a stream of smoke.

  
"Admiral, I'm blaming _you_ next time the CO2 scrubbers break."

  
"Shut up." He clenched the stick of tobacco between his teeth. "I'm working still. Go flirt with Chancellor Rainsworth's granddaughter."

  
The Captain laughed. "I do not flirt!"

  
"Leave...me... _alone_..."

  
"Okay! Okay! You know what, I'll go prepare the bridge for take off." Captain Xerxes Break, as he was known, spun on his heels towards the stairs leading up to the main bridge. He skipped his way up to the main control bridge where the crew members were setting up their stations, running tests on their equipment and getting some chat time in. The main crew of the large USS Raven consisted of ten trained men and women; most of them somehow vaguely related to the next. The ambassador to the USS Raven was a tall man who went by the name of Rufus Barma. Alice and Echo (who were either orphaned or disowned, no one is exactly sure) served at the main security guards and officers for the ship. Oscar Beisarus worked damage control. His niece and illegitimate daughter, Ada, worked with Chancellor Rainsworth's granddaughter Sharon in the communications department. Liam Lunettes spent most of his days in the engineer booth working out the ships own inner workings. Even the Admiral had family here. His brother Vincent worked in counterintelligence; sending out probes and bugs to wherever he pleased. His other brother, Elliot, and his best friend, Reo, used their great chemistry to pilot and maintain the ship's direction, speed and flight. Even with this crew, they were still one of the smaller ships in the entire Pandorian fleet. But smaller didn't mean weak.

  
Captain Break paused as all the crew stopped whatever they were doing and stood. _This_ is what he hated. Unnecessary respect. "Sit down. I'm not your Admiral."

  
The crew did as they were told. The chatter started up again."

  
"Oy, Break-san?" Oscar walked towards his Captain. "All systems are go for me."

  
"Ooh good! Nothing broken?"

  
"Not one!" The bulky man smiled as he shuffled the stack of reports in his fingers. He always slicked his grizzled blond hair back into a small ponytail. Hair grew upon his face covering his chin and upper lip. He wore rectangular glasses and a pair of earrings. One predominant ring on his right ear bore the symbol of the Pandorian fleet. He wore the uniform similar to all commanding bridge members; straight black pants and a simple solid colored tunic.

  
"Good!" Break put a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Excellent work!"

  
"All systems go then?" A voice piped from the white walls of an open box structure. Liam poked out his head. Short, ginger hair invaded his scalp like an overgrown lawn. He too wore a pair of glasses to enhance his vision and strutted a pair of earrings, including the symbol on his right ear. He wasn't a very big man like Oscar. His cheekbones were thin, his chin was slender and he had just the right body shape to squeeze into a crack. But he was more intelligent and focused than anyone on the ship.

  
"Good day, Liam-san!" Break chirped. "How are yooou?"

  
"I asked you a question. Are all systems go?"

  
"If neither you or Oscar can find any problems then probably yes."

  
Liam quickly nodded his head and concealed himself back in the box. Break walked up to his terminal near the top of the sloped bridge. He had a nice swivel chair next to his terminal which was located right next to the Admiral's main station. Chancellor Rainsworth has carried out the strict suggestion of no swivel chairs in the spaceships due to the injuries during turbulence. Break rather like the feeling of being swished around in space's vacuum. The Admiral's chair (and also everyone else's chair) was bolted to the floor. Captain Break sat in his chair, leaning back with his feet on top of his computer. Being Captain, his uniform was different than the rest. Unlike the solid color of red they all had, his uniform was colored a deep royal blue. The sleeves rolled out in a circular cuff around his wrists. He constantly had a headset over his white hair so that he and the Admiral could relay messages back and forth. He was constantly on ready for a relay or listening to a radio call. Like right then.

  
The earpiece crackled. "Captain Break?"

  
Break held down the button his his headset to broadcast his voice. "Mmm, yes Admiral?"

  
"Tell the crew I'm almost there. Make sure we're all ready to go."

  
"Got it, over." He broke into a smile and stood back up. "Prepare your stations! The Admiral will be here shortly."

  
" _Why_ is he taking so _long_?" A girl in a gray version of the uniform pouted out her lips with a long whine. She angrily flipped her dark brown hair over her left shoulder.

  
"He's writing a letter."

  
" _Letter?_ In this day and age?"

  
"It's to his girlfriend, Alice." Break said. "Remember, Lotti is from Lacion. They believe in the primitive way of life. You know, no phones, sewing machines, robots..."

  
"Oh. Right. No e-mail either." The girl, Alice, adjusted her long white boots, trying to hide a knife in them for the future.

  
"Exactly. Let him finish. She gets very antsy if she's not informed of our travels in advance."

  
Alice still frowned. She grumbled things to herself as she loaded one of her guns. Along with Echo, they worked on the ship's security system. For the two girls who had no actual family anymore, they were fit for the job. Alice was exceptional at close range combat. She used her gun at times but, at the right time, she also resorted to knives, tazers and even her own fists. Echo, with her whitewashed hair and glowing eyes, was the complete opposite. She was shy and quiet, for one. But her skills laid in the long range bullets and sniper knives. From what Break knew, Echo had never missed a target.

  
"Anyway, are you all prepared?"

  
"Yessir!"

  
"Good!

  
Almost on cue, the Admiral phoned. "I'm on my way."

  
Break lifted up his arms. "Crew of the USS Raven, rise for your Admiral, Gilbert Nightray."

  
The shuffle of feet filled the bridge as the Admiral walked up the stairs. His mop of shiny, black, curly hair was mostly hidden by the brim of his favorite hat. Dark brows lined the bright gold eyes he was born with. Gold earrings stuck inconspicuously in his earlobe, a ring with the symbol clamped around his outer ear. He was unlike any Admiral in dress. The ceremonial purple was put aside for a night black uniform with a silver cape. He was large, muscular and never seemed to smile. With a smoking cigarette in his mouth, he strolled up to the top of the bridge and sat down. The rest of the crew sat down with him.

  
"Are we ready to go?" His deep voice resonated through the bridge.

  
"Yes, Admiral, sir."

  
"Then lets bet off. Begin engines! Plot the course forward to Lebleux!"


	2. Chapter 2

"So wait... _what_ is our business in Lebleux again?"

  
Gilbert eyed the little girl's blazing eyes. He always had to re-explain things to the little bandit girl who extrovertedly declared her hate for him. Every time, he got that much more annoyed at her attitude.

  
"Alice, we're going there because there's been some reported black marketers in the area."

  
"Black what?"

  
"Those who run the black market." Break peered over his terminal. "They smuggle and sell illegal merchandise for big bucks."

  
"Those jerks." Gilbert mumbled.

  
"Ahh. I see now." Alice spun around in her seat. "So are we gonna slaughter them?"

  
"No. We're going to gather evidence and get them arrested." Gilbert snarled.

  
"Why?"

  
"Cause their _criminals_..."

  
"But why not just kill them off?"

  
"Because no violence is the best."

  
Alice folded her arms. "That's no _fun_ "

  
"Well it's not supposed to be fun." He crunched the end of his cigarette into the black ashtray to the left of his desk. "You're a security officer, Alice! I am your Admiral!"

  
"I know. You've told me before!"

  
"Now, now, children, calm down." Break coddled a lollipop in his mouth happily.

  
"Fine. _Seaweed head._ "

  
"How DARE you speak to your Admiral that way!?" Gilbert slammed his hands on his terminal and shot up like a sprout.

  
"I said calm down! Don't make me make Elliot and Reo turn this ship around!"

  
Oscar groaned at the small scene going on at the top of the bridge. "You're _all_ children..."

  
"How rude." Break stood up. He pressed one hand to his hip. "I'm the only child here."

  
"Will you all _please_ be quiet? I can hardly hear what my grandmother is trying to say!" Screeched a female voice. She had the same valor and fierceness as her mother and grandmother before her. She was very fair with delicate skin bright violet eyes and naturally rogue lips. Her tan shaded hair ran past her shoulders, landing on her back midway down. A very well figured woman she looked like a hot mess when angry. Like now. All froze, cold as marble at the snarl in her voice and nostrils.

  
"Wait...you're _grandma's_ on the phone!?"

  
"Yes! And over your quarreling, I can't hear a word she's saying!"

  
Silence filled the bridge. Not only was she beautiful in every way but she just happened to be Sharon Rainsworth, Chancellor Rainsworth's granddaughter. The Chancellor was in charge of the entire fleet and was just as scary, if not scarier, than her granddaughter. They both used silent, fierce words and a habit of being conservative in their brutal punishments. They were the sweet woman type who were only harmless when perfectly content.

  
"Yes. I understand. Yes I'll be safe. You worry too much. Okay. Love you. Bye." Everyone let out their breath as the phone clicked. Sharon turned her hips to the top of the bridge. " _Next time_ , Admiral, be respectful." And with that, she sat back down. Only the hum of the ship's engine could be heard for a long while. Sometimes the clicking of keyboards or the tapping of anxious feet. A cry of triumph came from a man laid in the back of the bridge. His hair was the longest of all the males. It flung up with his fist, flashing the golden color of wheat. He was a smaller man with a delicate figure and an angular face. At a glance, he wouldn't look too out of the ordinary. Still, his eyes held a strange color. One iris was golden like his debonair brother, Gilbert. The other was blood red.

  
"Probe network FINISHED!" He cried.

  
"Good." Gilbert seemed less than impressed by his little brother.

  
"Do you need me to send out probes to Lebluex, nee-san?"

  
"Not yet, Vincent. Not quite yet."

  
Vincent put his boots on the terminal. "Oh...all right."

  
"When will we begin gathering information from Lebleux, Admiral?" Rufus walked from his chair up to Gilbert's computer terminal, his long robes swishing behind him. His dark, auburn hair hinted to shades of plum purple. Silver-gray eyes reflected fierce, kind fatherly discipline. He wore the Ambassador's uniform; the next fanciest thing to the Admiral. It was a green tunic with a shawl that ran down over his torso.

  
Instead of the Pandora Fleet symbol on a ring around his ear, it shone proudly on a pendant round his neck. But, due to Rufus Barma's nature, he liked to spice it up. He wore high heels of a similar green, another necklace of gold and held an aluminum fan in his fingers. Gilbert lit another cigarette as he turned to Rufus.

  
"Soon. If we do it now, they'll never get there. If we do it too late, we risk our cover being blown."

  
"I think we could do it now."

  
"It's my ship, Rufus."

  
He raised an eyebrow over the glare of his fan. "It's Chancellor Riansworths."

  
"I'm _still_ in charge of this ship."

  
"He is, fool." Break tittered.

  
"You, be quiet Xerxes."

  
Gilbert flashed his palm to Rufus, his way of saying 'buzz off'. Rufus gently bowed and walked back to his desk. "Hey, Elliot, Reo, low long until we're in a one hundred unit radius of Lebluex?"

  
Reo was the one to answer. He was a small boy, in his teenage years. Nothing seemed very special about him. All that really distinguished him from others was the mop of black hair that covered his scalp like a nest. He never cut it. People had been injured and even killed trying to tame or cut it. One couldn't even see the symbol that hung on his ear. He also wore thick round spectacles over his eyes. Most of the time, he was a calm person who was quick to answer to orders. "About five minutes, Admiral."

  
Gilbert nodded. "At what warp?"

  
"We're at warp three now." Another teenage boy spun around in his chair. His blue eyes didn't match his brother's on the Raven. His light brown locks were more similar to that of his brother Vincent. The shape of his eyes and brows seemed to paint a stony glare on his pale cheeks. Every gesture he did carelessly but with skill. If one were to look under his terminal, they would see a sword with a fancy gold hilt tarnished by age. Such weaponry by him would be outlawed but Admiral Gilbert had his ways. It was a hand-me-down heirloom that Elliot loved dearly. No one had never seen him sword-fight with it though. Reo and he were good friends through any aspect. Hidden in both of their hearts was a red-hot temper waiting for a flame to ignite it.

  
"Only warp three?"

  
"Because you told us to." Elliot glared at his older brother.

  
"Right...well, keep at warp three. We'll need to save as much fuel as possible."

  
"You act like there's an energy crisis." Break cooed.

  
"Don't say that to me, considering _I_ buy your candy."

  
"Is this world all about money and fame?" He waved the stick in the air. "I swear this galaxy is going to-"

  
"Mister Rufus?" Shyly, the other communication officer, Ada Beizarus, held her delicate hand towards the screen. Her long blond hair was scrunched up in the back with a red ribbon matching her uniform. She had a kind, round face with glittering green eyes. Two little cat charms hung from her normal earrings. Her well figured form turned to Rufus who had walked from his desk to the communications station. In a high pitched, soft voice, she showed him a block of text on her computer. "It's a message from your nephew."   
"Finally. I was worried about him." He gently pushed Ada to her feet and sat in the chair to read his message.

  
The hum of the ship began to tickle at Gilbert's ears. He glanced down at his own computer screen; the basic log in screen. He caught the glimmer of something gold to his left. On his appropriate finger, a band of gold formed a ring marked with a line down the middle. It signified his engagement to the Lacionian woman, Lotti. He let out a sigh as he saw the ring. Miss Charlotte Bates. With her ruby red eyes and pink toned hair, Gilbert felt as if only an angel could possess that face. He fingered at his ring. He could feel the warmth of her velvet skin transferred through the metal of the ring. It was custom in Lacion that the man propose first and that, the following day, the to-be-engaged woman answered with a ring of her own to make the engagement legal. The day he finally got the answer was only two weeks ago. He thought about Lotti and her humble little house in the small city in Lacion. He thought about her perfect face and her kind smile. He thought and thought and thought and, for a moment, the strict Admiral smiled.

  
"Admiral! We're in a hundred unit radius!" Reo's cries woke him from his dreamy trance.

  
"Great. Vincent! Do your thing."

  
"With pleasure, nii-san." He outstretched his fingers, twisting them together and cracking his knuckles. His fingers flew onto the keyboard, ordering the crew down on a floor to send out the pre-prepared probe.

  
"So what's the plan once we touch base?" Someone asked.

  
Gilbert blew some smoke from his mouth. "If we can confirm where they're located, half of us will go there incognito to get the information. If the claim is valid, we'll arrest the main dealers after we lock-down the planet. Then, we'll get them all on board the Abyss."

  
"Oh, wonderful plan!" Break chirped.

  
"Who stays here?" Alice frowned.

  
"Well I'm going so Break must stay behind to keep order here." Gilbert pointed at his two younger brothers for their exposition out of Lebleux as well as Alice (after Alice complained, she finally agreed). They selected Rufus just in case the language was not one they knew. The others opted (sometimes unwillingly) to stay behind.

  
As the ship moved closer, a cry of joy came from Vincent. "Lovely!"

  
"What?"

  
"Computer, play the audio for them!"

  
" _Affirmative_." In a robotic fashion, the computer said its words and pulled up a sound track to play. The sound was crystal clear, free of static and other background noises. It was an intercepted radio signal. They could hear a man's voice talking to someone. The voice was rather high pitched for a man but it seemed to match with his elegant words and way of talking.

  
"No, not at all! You think'd I'd forget such important merchandise? Oh heaven forbid, no. Don't worry so much. I have the crop of opium we need."

  
Gilbert scoffed. "Good work, Vincent. We got 'em." He stood up. "Okay all of you going down, grab a hood on your way. Prepare for landing. And remember, keep cover. We can't ruin such a prime opportunity."


End file.
